The Beginner's Guide to Understanding SEO

Digital marketing has been around for several years. Business owners have been shifting from traditional to digital in terms of marketing their business. Because of this, there has been an increase in terms of employment among freelance virtual assistants. I, for one, have been in this industry for 7 years now. If you want to be hired as a virtual assistant, there is a wide array of skills that you can learn. Among these skills, SEO is one of the most sought out by employers.

_{Search Engine Optimization}

Since I posted on #steemgigs about my SEO services, I have received inquiries from prospective clients. I have also received a lot of questions from friends about SEO. So, to answer them at once, and also to provide information to those who would like to learn SEO, I have decided to write a series of articles about it.

SEO is a very broad topic to cover. That being said, I will be dissecting what I know about SEO into different parts. For this article, I'll cover the basics, specifically, the following:

• What is SEO?
• What is the purpose/main goal of SEO?
• What needs to be optimized?
• Why is it so in demand among business owners?
• How does SEO help business owners?
• How do search engines determine the page results?

What is SEO?

SEO means Search Engine Optimization. But before I'll tackle SEO further, let me start by explaining these two terms: (1) search engine and (2) optimization.

Search engine is a program that allows a user to search for items and contents in a database using keywords or characters assigned by the user. Still not getting it? To make it simpler, it is a program or platform that you can use to search anything (using keywords) on the Internet. Examples of search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Optimization, according to Oxford dictionary is "the action of making the best or most effective use of a situation or resource."

So what is search engine optimization then? It is the process of optimizing your web or blogpage so that a search engine such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing will show it as a top result when a searcher types a certain keyword.

What is the purpose of SEO?

Let me explain this topic by breaking down the different elements involved in SEO: (1) the content creator/website owner, (2) the searcher, (3) the keyword/s, and (4) the search engine.

The searcher types in keywords to a search engine. The search engine then tries to collect data from its database based on the keyword used by the searcher. The most relevant articles gathered by the search engine will then be displayed on its first page.

To give you a more concrete explanation, let's assume YOU are the content creator, I am the searcher, I want to search about "solo backpacking Southeast Asia", and I chose Google as my search engine.

_{In the photo above, there are 651,000 results! That's how many your competitors are. How will you land the first page of the TOP RESULTS of Google then? Great news! SEO is here to help! (photo is mine)}

In the example above, I typed in the keywords "solo backpacking Southeast Asia" in Google's search box. Google then searched for the most relevant content based on that keyword. You, as a content creator, would want Google to display one of your articles on the top search results, so I can find your work, and hopefully click the link to your article.

But there are 651,000 of contents out there that are related to the keywords "solo backpacking Southeast Asia". So how do you make the search engines choose your content than your competitors'? This is where SEO comes in.

SEO is the magic and the answer to how you can make your website/blog articles appear on the top results of search engines when a searcher types in a certain keyword. Getting your articles on the top results of search engines will allow people to find and get to know your website. And this my friends is the main purpose of SEO.

Based on studies, searchers do not bother checking in the second page of Google when getting information from the web. Contents found on the first page of Google (or other search engines) have the highest chance of being visited by the searchers.

But what needs to be optimized?

_{SEO takes time and a lot of effort.}

Let me be honest. In SEO, a lot of things need to be done or addressed. Let me mention some:

• quality and relevancy of your article
• keywords used in your articles
• user experience
• site speed
• internal links
• meta descriptions and title tags
• image tags
• Schema markup
• domain names
• headlines and permalinks
• social media links
• local SEO
• page design
• and many more

All of these elements are essential to your website's page ranking. I understand that most of these things are unfamiliar to you but I will be explaining all of these in my next posts.

Why is SEO so in demand among business owners?

Here in the Philippines, it's mostly the big businesses that have their own website and actually make an effort to develop and optimize it. It's a different case for small businesses as they usually utilize social media in marketing their products and services. I believe in the power of Social Media Marketing. As a matter of fact, it is an important aspect of the SEO process. Both marketing strategies are interrelated.

On the other hand, in the US, UK, Australia, and other European countries big and small businesses are really making an effort in developing their websites and optimizing it for search engines so people can find their business. In these countries, almost all business transactions are made online -- from inquiries, to reservations, even purchases, and payments. Hence, they are utilizing the power of the Internet -- digital marketing as it is called!

So, assuming you own a restaurant. Of course, having competitors is a given. As a competitive business owner, you created your website. But what can you do then to have an edge over your competitors? How are you going to promote your restaurant?

If your targeted keyword is "best steak restaurant in LA", whenever people search using that keyword, you would like your website to appear on the top results of Google, right? But, is it that easy to be on the top results of Google? Let's say you have 50 competitors in LA. How can you ensure that when people search that certain keyword, yours will show first?

As I have mentioned earlier, SEO can do the magic, and it's the very reason why business owners are wanting to learn or get SEO services.

But how does being on the top results help business owners?

Let's assume again that you have made a good effort in optimizing your website and its internal pages. So, when people use the keyword "best steak restaurant in LA", your website lands on the third spot of Google results page. What do you think is the effect?

The searcher "might" click the link to your website. Considering he/she clicked the link, that's already considered a "page visit". When somebody visits your website and likes what they see, what do you think will happen next? The chances are, they will call your restaurant, make a reservation, and dine in. Yay!

Now if they are happy with the food and the service, they will go home as happy customers. Then, they will start spreading good reviews to their friends and other family members -- what others refer to as word of mouth. See, there's a ripple effect, which only started with a simple search on Google.

So back to the question, how does SEO help business owners? The answer is simple -- it gives the business VISIBILITY. SEO does the magic of letting people see and know your business even if they are just sitting in the comfort of their homes.

How do search engines determine the page results?

_{Components of Google's Ranking Algorithm}

Now you may ask, how do Google and other search engines choose the contents that they display on their top results after a search? The answer is ALGORITHM! What the hell is an algorithm? As per Google dictionary, "It is a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer."

So, there are rules to be followed? Of course! Even the blockchain has its own algorithm. The job of the SEO specialist then is to make sure that every aspect (content, tags, design, etc) of all the internal pages in the website is search engine optimized. By that I mean you need to follow all the “known” rules and guidelines so Google, Yahoo, and Bing will like your contents and hopefully display your pages on their top results when searchers type in your targeted keyword/s.

Conclusion

_{Developing an SEO strategy for your business can help draw consumer traffic to your website as well as grow your sales and revenue.}

So, is it really worth the time and effort learning SEO or taking advantage of SEO services from specialists? I believe the answer is YES! You can have the best-designed website that contains the most unique and informative content, but if Google and other search engines CAN'T find it, believe me, NO ONE CAN.

In today's competitive industry, getting ahead of the game is imperative! Whether you are a business owner who wants to increase your sales or a travel or fashion blogger who wants your quality contents to be read by your target audience, just commit to getting started today. Who knows, the next time you publish your post, you will find your page on the top and trending pages of Google, Yahoo, and Bing!

If you are someone who wants to learn SEO or be employed as SEO specialist, stay tuned for more SEO tutorials.